Improving sustainability in the textile industry
Article
Dyeing and printing is an important part of textile production—it brings us the vibrant patterns and prints we enjoy in modern fashion, indoor decor, accessories, and marketing materials like banners and branded merchandise. Unfortunately, textile production has a heavy environmental footprint.
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from textiles production totaled 1.2 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e), more than the emissions of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Textile production also discharges high volumes of wastewater containing hazardous chemicals into local bodies of water. For example, 20% of industrial water pollution globally is attributable to the dyeing and treatment of textiles.
DuPont Artistri® pigment inkjet and dye sublimation inks simplify the printing process, reduce resource consumption, and eliminate significant chemical and wastewater components from the production cycle. Digital printing with Artistri® inks reduces the total carbon footprint of textile printing by 40% at scale, and reduces water consumption by over 60 percent.
Artistri® also eliminates the need for hazardous chemicals, which reduces hazardous waste streams by 85 percent. This reduces particulate matter pollution, acidification, and freshwater eutrophication, which means less impact on the air, land, and water. Reducing chemical effluents in the textile production processes simplifies the local downstream wastewater treatment requirements, lowering the impact of the textile industry on communities’ and waterways’ resources.
Our delivering solutions for global challenges stories
Helping wind turbines cut through ice
The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, hilltops, open plains and gaps in between mountains; areas with an abundance of naturally occurring wind. Many of these areas experience snow, freezing rain, and seasonal cold weather, sometimes dropping well below zero on a daily basis for months at a time
Developing low-VOC adhesives
DuPont Mobility & Materials developed MEGUM™ W 9500, a paint-like, heat reactive, water-based adhesive that establishes strong bonds between rubber and metal.
Advancing underwater desalination
In 2020, DuPont Water Solutions entered into a collaboration with Waterise, an energy company that aims to provide solutions to the global water shortage. The collaboration aims to provide seawater reverse osmosis membranes—which purify water—and expertise to the company’s sub-sea desalination plants.
See all our Innovating Safer by Design Stories
Read more stories about how DuPont is innovating safety by design in our Stories Hub...
